Note:

If your loans were issued to you by Prince Edward Island or Manitoba, you have to apply directly to your province for repayment assistance for your provincial loan. Contact your provincial student financial assistance office to find out more.

How the Repayment Assistance Plan works

Stage 1:

The Government of Canada and your provincial government will pay the interest owing that your revised payment does not cover. This may last for up to 10 six-month periods or 60 months during the 10-year period after you leave school.

Stage 2:

This stage starts once you complete Stage 1, have been repaying the loan for 10 years after leaving school or have been approved for the Repayment Assistance Plan for Borrowers with a Permanent Disability. In Stage 2, the Government of Canada and your provincial government will continue to cover the interest owing that your revised payment does not cover and will start to cover a portion of the principal amount owing. The balance of your loan is gradually paid off so you won’t have any student loan debt 15 years after leaving school (or 10 years for qualified borrowers with a permanent disability).

Once you have been approved for and receive a Stage 2 benefit, you cannot receive additional student loans or grants until your existing loans are paid in full. However, you can still get interest-free status for your existing student loans if you return to school.

Repayment Assistance Plan for Borrowers with a Permanent Disability

The Repayment Assistance Plan for Borrowers with a Permanent Disability (RAP-PD) is available to borrowers with permanent disabilities having difficulty paying back their student loans. RAP-PD makes it easier for you to manage your student loan debt by reducing your monthly payment.

Your monthly student loan payments would either be reduced or you would not have to make any payments, depending on your financial situation and permanent disability-related expenses, which include allowable uninsured medical expenses, special care and other expenses directly related to your permanent disability.

Enrolment would not be automatic and you would have to re-apply for this plan every six months.

Eligibility

You qualify for RAP-PD if:

you have a permanent disability that has been assessed and recognized by the Canada Student Loans Program; and

you are eligible for the Repayment Assistance Plan.

Apply

To apply:

complete an online application through your NSLSC Online Services account (you can register for an online account first if you do not have one already); or

Note:

If your loans were issued to you by Prince Edward Island or Manitoba, you have to apply directly to your province for repayment assistance for your provincial loan. Contact your provincial student financial assistance office to find out more.